Artaleto by Eryth

Presenting the latest in the 'Music for Dune' series: Artaleto

Jumping on a recent trend for death metal bands to add straight psychedelic/ambient/'pretty' elements to their typical churning death metal (Blood Incantation, Horrendous, Tomb Mold, Afterbirth etc), I wanted to do my own sludge version. I have tried to merge the original Almirezh sound template (ie, synths, noise, arabic rhythms and scales, open-ended 'cinematic' song structures, lots of sustainer) with the usual 'Eryth sound'. I ended up digging out some very old recordings from that era, including an entire completed track from over two years ago ('Altaw'am'). Many of the tracks are re-formed from sketches made over the past few months as the concept took shape, as well as 'rejects' from the 'Fermi' albums. Melodies, rhythms, patterns and lyrics recur across the entire album. I have also tried to build a cinematic/narrative structure for tracks - partly because I find it very hard but necessary to write track structures outside the verse-chorus-verse template. These soundtrack imaginary film scenes - Denis Villeneuve, I am available if Hans Zimmer is busy! Direct and indirect influences here include: Guapo, Wallowing, traditional Bulgarian folk tunes, and the MechWarrior 2 soundtrack (a great source of desert/arabic sounds!), Nile, the Legion of Doom. I have also used taiko drums, various bowed cymbals, hammered dulcimer and noise elements.

The theme is the life and times of Leto II, the God Emperor who leads humanity along his Golden Path in Dune Messiah, Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune. I've skipped the majority period of the 3500-year rule, only because I couldn't fit anything to the theme of a period of great restlessness - who knows, that may reappear as part 2? The initial idea came from several passages in the later Dune books which capture a certain metal essence - particularly the pronouncements and philosophies in the Stolen Journals, and the historical writings at the start of each chapter. I have liberally adapted these into lyrics, see below. The title 'Artaleto' adds the Achaemenid prefix 'Arta', meaning 'righteousness, correctness and divine truth', to Leto II's name - which feels right as a reflection of his arrogance. Track titles are in Arabic or Fremen language, whichever suited the sound of the track best

Qabl
Arabic for 'before'; a big opener, signifying the moment of physical and spiritual/genetic pre-birth for the God Emperor, at the conclusion of the 'Dune Messiah' book. Various softer sounds build up in 5/4 to a screeching crescendo, before breaking into a huge sludge riff over cries of 'my eyes see as yours/your eyes see as mine' - the spiritual connection between Paul and Leto II allowing shared sight. The build up then continues to a fever pitch, representing the overwhelming voices and emotions of Other Memory, before Leto II regains control.

Altaw'am
A softer piece representing the strange childhood of Leto with his twin Ghanima (altaw'am means twin sister), born as they are with countless millennia of genetic memory. Dual lead sustainered lines spiral around each other, sometimes copying, at times reflecting, sometimes making new paths. This song was originally written a couple of years ago as part of the 'research' for Almirezh, and is presented here almost unchanged.

Secher Nbiw
A slightly-wonky build up of drums in a pattern of 4/4, 3/4, 5/4 and 4/4 (or 7/4 + 9/4), supported by choirs of angelic/demonic voices (samples and yours truly) to chart Leto's revelation of the Golden Path (which in 'the ancient tongue' is Secher Nbiw) during a spice binge. The relaxed ending is actually a cover of a tune from the MechWarrior 2 soundtrack, which I've enjoyed since the mid-90s as an atmospheric/arabic soundtrack

Ta'wil
A rejected track from the 'Fermi' series, this returns in a twisted form to chart Leto's transformation (ta'wil in arabic) from human into worm-god as he merges with the sandtrout. An off-kilter riff plays with a backbeat across 4/4, 3/4 and 7/4 rhythms, while a twisting Fripp/Belew lead becomes more frenetic as Leto loses his grip on reality. The lyrics are taken from various passages in the book, representing Leto's prescient dreams of the event, as well as his post-transformation mantra 'my skin is not my own'

Ritha
A huge sludge/funeral doom track, jumping narratively forward 3500 years to represent the end of Leto's life. The opening lead is adapted from an amazing (dis?)harmonised Bulgarian folk tune 'Kaval Sviri', which I think is actually about fetching water from a well with one's mother, but for me works better as a plaintive funeral cry. The lyrics are taken from a passage 'Lament for Leto II' as well as Fremen death rites in the books that felt suitable. The refrain of 'flesh, soul, myth, reason' are the four deaths that Leto talks about in 'God Emperor'. The main passages are broken up by solos and leads, at once triumphant, mournful and signalling acceptance, and and the ending scintillating dual leads echo back to both 'Altaw'am' and represent the breaking up of Leto's body to return to the sands as countless sandtrout containing his genetic memories.


Qabl

Your eyes see as mine
My eyes see as yours
Sensate duality
Spectres of our past

Your eyes see as mine
My eyes see as yours
Ancestral lineage
Seek our golden path

Your eyes see as mine
My eyes see as yours

Altaw'am

Ghanima, sister, confider, guider
Ghanima, purer, protector, outstrider
Ghanima, rider, insider, sandrider

Secher Nbiw

Seek my golden path
Lesson for your bones

Seek my golden path

Ta'wil

I am the sun, light shines out
I move from myself
I awaken, still dreaming
Skin encased - terrified

I am coriolis, I will shake the earth
Erode to nothing, eye on golden path
Food is of my soul, everlasting flesh
Tread my gilded steps, my skin is not my own

Ritha

One small bird called thee
From beak stained crimson
Cried once over sietch
went forth funeral plain

Flesh, soul, myth, reason

Storm tears flesh from bone
Worn fragments
Cast out to far sands
As seeds of resurrection

Flesh, soul, myth, reason

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